This invention relates generally to Diagnostic Imaging (DI) detectors, and, more particularly, to PET detectors.
In PET (Positron Emission Tomography) imaging systems, PET detector assemblies are mounted in a 360 arc around the patient to collect coincident events that occur from a radioactive tracer given to the affected patient. The gamma radiation is converted into a small electrical signal through a detector module assembly and then post-processed to form an image of the patient. The detector assembly on the PET system is extremely thermally sensitive and can change its signal gain and characteristics with temperature fluctuations of the individual components that make up the detector assembly. These characteristic changes from thermal variance can result in a degradation of image quality if not properly monitored and accounted for in the signal acquisition path.
The next generation PET systems will have varying degrees of electronics placed in close approximation to the detector assembly in order to drive signal to noise ratio as high as possible. This creates an inherent problem, as this will place heat sources near or around the detector assembly that will create gradients and or thermal changes within the detector materials that could result in degradation of image quality.
Therefore, there is a need to manage the thermal load near or around the detector assembly in order to maintain near constant temperature regardless of ambient or external factors that could result in thermal gradients.